Posts by Steven B. Ockerman

Maybe it starts on a smaller level. A wife may notice her husband has had too much to drink at a party, and she makes excuses for her husband’s erratic behavior. The next week, the same situation repeats itself. Within six months, the wife becomes accustomed to seeing her husband in a drunken state more…

Not every divorce ends in a contentious battle to the emotional and financial death. For some couples the decision to go their separate ways, at least legally, can be a very difficult decision to make. When you think about a couple weighing the pros and cons to divorcing, you might picture them talking about their…

Many couples, even ones whose divorce is relatively amicable, may have a moment (or ten) where they briefly wonder, How can I get even with my soon-to-be ex-spouse? For some, though, it is more than a passing thought. It becomes a way of life to see how much trouble they can throw into the life…

You are out for drinks with friends or just walking down the block from work to pick up lunch, but you make eye contact, exchange smiles and feel an instant spark with a total stranger. There is just no getting around the fact that the first thing that attracts two people to one another is…

On August 10, an Illinois judge barred Rebecca Firlit from seeing her 11-year-old son because she is not vaccinated against COVID-19. After being met with a barrage of commentary and outcry online, however, Cook County Judge James Shapiro abruptly and with little explanation reversed his order on August 30th. Many experts claim Judge Shapiro greatly…

The name Jennifer Wilbanks may not be recognizable to many people, but we bet her moniker of “The Runaway Bride” is. Wilbanks was given the nickname after she made the decision not to show up at her own wedding in April of 2005. Although she initially claimed to have been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by…

There is nothing better than a high-profile custody case to put things into perspective. Most of us read the headlines of superstars fighting over their children and property and cannot believe what we have just read. The amount of time and money that gets thrown into a contentious case can leave you questioning why it…

There are 20 million single-parent households with kids in the US, and 16 million of those are single mothers. For these parents, trying to gain a financial foothold – especially when they are of the primary residential parent and caregiver of the children – can seem impossible. There has to be a better way. And…

According to researchers from the IRS, Carnegie Mellon University, the London School of Economics, and the University of California Berkeley, high-income tax evasion is on the rise. One recent poll also concluded that 44% of people keep financial secrets from their partners. The reasons vary but typically center around a desire to control finances, shame…